A Mistake
by Tokala Saiph
Summary: Axel discovers his past.
1. Chapter 1

She watches him stumble around in the rain. He reeks of rum and sweat. She draws her hood up, hiding her silvery lavender hair. She steps toward him, into the downpour. He sees her, turns.

"Why, hello. Aren't you a pretty one?" he slurrs.

She shakes her head.

"Always the flirt, Reno. Don't you remember me?" Her grey eyes search his. He only looks confused.

"My name is Axel. A-X-E-L." He spells it out, swaying slightly. "Who's Reno?"

She sighs.

"Nevermind." She whispers. "Here, let's get you home." She holds him firmly by the shoulders. He twists out of her grip and glares at her. His brilliant red hair is plastered to his head in the rain. She wonders why he cut his ponytail off.

"Who are you?" He asks.

"Nobody." She says. Shame, regret, and pain flow through her voice as she takes his shoulders again. "I'm a Nobody, just like you."

She gestures; a portal of darkness appears.

"You're one of us?" He asks, surprised and confused.

She shakes her head.

"Just go."

……….

"I'm not sure how I got home, Roxas. Did Demyx find me again? Except, I was sure it was a girl…"

Roxas shakes his head.

"Weird… maybe I imagined it? Sheesh, Port Royal must be making some pretty strong stuff now…" Axel runs his gloved hands through his hair. He sits down wearily and closes his emerald eyes. "Man, have I got the worst hangover…"

The door to the room flies open with a bang. Demyx rushes in.

"Why can't you teleport in like a norman person?" Axel demands. "It's so much quieter."

Demyx grins broadly.

"Not my fault you went and got wasted last night," he says cheerfully. "Get up, we have to go!" He turns to look at Roxas sheepishly, almost apologetic. "Sorry, Roxas. This is just me and Axel. The Superior has something else for you to do, I think." Roxas nods bruesquely and vanishes in a swirl of darkness. "We're off to Radiant Garden!" Demyx says brightly.

"Why?"

"No real reason. We're supposed to check on that Restoration crew or whatever. We have to make sure they aren't causing any trouble."

"Like what?" Axel says grumpily.

"No idea!" Demyx pulls Axel upright. "But we have to do it anyway. Orders are orders, and I love Radiant Garden! Let's go!"

"I hate my life," Axel mutters. They step into the darkness.

……

They stand on the rooftop, watching the Restoration crew work on the streets below.

Abruptly, Axel turns to look at Demyx.

"Ever heard of a guy named Reno?" He asks, expecting a negative response.

"Sure," Demyx says easily. "They talk about him sometimes." He gestures at Aerith and Yuffie. "Did you know him? His grave's over by the cathedral."

Axel flinches.

"No, I never knew him. I just wondered."

Demyx shrugs.

"Whatever."

…..

"Hello."

Demyx jumps; Axel flinches. They spin to face the speaker. Chakrams form in Axel's hands as Demyx's sitaur begins to materialize.

"Are you really going to hurt me, Reno?" The girl spreads her arms wide. "Are you going to kill me?" Her lavender hair waves in the light wind. She smiles. "Go ahead."

"What are you doing here?" Axel demands. "Who are you?"

"Why did you call him Reno?" Demyx asks.

"I'm Altair." She says. "Do you remember me, Reno?"

"My name isn't Reno!" Axel says. Flames flicker in his hands. Altair watches them with interest.

"You always did like fireworks and things," she says. "I guess that isn't too surprising." She lowers her arms and puts her hands in her jean's pockets. "So, why are you here? Do you miss Midgar?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Axel demands angrily. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe," she says. "I wouldn't know." She smiles and looks around at the town. "It's smaller now," she says. She turns to face him again. "It's so strange to think of…" She smiles wearily. "I'll see you later, I guess. Bye, Reno. Bye, Reno's friend." She dives of the rooftop into a swirl of darkness.

Axel and Demyx stare after her, speechless.

"What the hell was that?" Demyx asks finally. "Did you know her?"

Axel frowns.

"I don't think so…"

This is a really short chapter,I know. I think it may work better this way... we'll see, shall we? Please review! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

She hugs herself and fights back a shudder. Clumsily, she rolls out of bed; she lights a candle with shaking fingers. As she stares into the flame, she thinks and remembers. All of the foolish, destructive things she has done haunt her dreams, filling her with a terrible, aching guilt. She wants to die.

"Why…" she whispers into the dark. "I don't even remember…"

She doesn't truly remember the killings, or turning into a nobody. She doesn't remember losing her heart.

She remembers meeting Reno and falling in love. She remembers Reno talking about the Turks and the two of them wondering what to name their baby when it was born. She remembers the miscarriage and the hooded man, whispering to her. Her memories fade, replaced by a hazy sense of rage and pain.

Then there was fire. There were flames and blood and she was burning, and she made him burn with her, and together they destroyed everthing.

It was her fault, wasn't it? She pulled him down with her. She made them into who they were. She could never be forgiven. She deserved to die.

After all that she had done, she thinks that perhaps she would like for him to be the one to kill her.

….

"That girl was crazy," Demyx says. He fingers the strings of his sitaur idly. "Jumping off the roof…"

"She dived into darkness, Demyx. She must be a Nobody too." Axel's brow is furrowed in thought.

"If she was, she'd be with the Organization." Demyx says easily. "Why don't you ask the Superior about it? He'd know."

"You ask him," Axel shot back. "I don't feel like making him angry."

"I don't care who she was. You're the one she wanted to talk to." Demyx smiles. "Reno."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"It's not my name!"

"How do you know? Maybe she knew you before you became a Nobody. Maybe you used to be called Reno."

"I don't think so." Axel lays back on the couch; his spiky red hair is flattened against the beige cushions. "Besides, isn't Reno dead? You mentioned his grave earlier."

"Maybe you were a different Reno."

"I doubt it."

"Go ahead." Demyx smiles. "But now I want to see her again. I want to ask her some questions."

"Such as?"

"Such as : 'Has Axel always been gay, or is this a new development?'"

Axel grimaces and throws a cushion at Demyx.

"I am not gay!" he shouts in exasperation. "What is with you people?"

"Maybe we're just projecting," Demyx laughs. "After all, some of us are gay."

"Well I'm not," Axel huffs. "So don't get any ideas."

Demyx laughs, gives him a kiss on the cheek, and scampers out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are there any other Nobodies? I mean, any outside the Organization?"

Saix frowned.

"Of course not. Why do you ask?"

Axel shrugs.

"I just wondered if there were more like us, that's all."

"There aren't. Stop wondering and get to work. You've an assignment in Port Royal, don't you? Get to it!"

Axel nods and leaves.

Altair sits on a barrel of rum, idly kicking her feet. Her lavender hair tumbles over her shoulders in a riotous mass of curls.

"Hey, Andrew!" She calls out to the bartender. "Give me another." Andrew nods assent and hands her a mug of whiskey. The liquid burns down her throat, fogging her thoughts. She can't drink away her troubles, but that doesn't keep her from trying. She finishes the last of her drink and stands. She stalks through the bar's crowd and leaves without another word.

…

She stares into the water and wonders why Nobodies cannot commit suicide. She thinks that perhaps it has something to do with the heart being broken, truly broken, rather than missing. She hears footsteps behind her and spins around.

"You!" Axel says in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Not attempting suicide, actually," she says easily. "Having fun running errands for you Superior?"

"How did you know about that?" Altiar smiles at the look of confusion on his face. She loves to wipe away his smirk.

"Maybe I didn't. Maybe I'm a hallucination. It's foggy, after all. Have you been drinking again?"

He pushes past her.

"I don't have time for this."

"You used to. We used to have all the time in the world… until we broke it. Do you remember yet?"

"Remember what?" His voice is sharp.

"Who I am, of course."

"I don't know you." He walks past.

"But I know you!" She calls after him. "I know all about you, 'Axel'. I know who you were before you became a Nobody. I know whose fault it is that you are the way you are."

He stopsand turns to face her. His bright green eyes are wary, masking a painful hope.

"Will you tell me? How can I know I can trust you?"

"Oh, I'll tell you the truth, all of it. In return, you'll owe me a single favor."

"Done."

"Meet me at Memory's Skyscraper tonight. I'll be inside." She smiles and vanishes into darkness. Traces of whiskey hang in the air like spilled perfume. Axel takes a deep breath, eyes bright, and walks away.

….


End file.
